Angry Banana
Chapter 227 Siege (I)
Having negotiated the terms, Ning Yi, upon leaving the Qian residence, moved two barrels of explosives onto his carriage. Even within the army during this era, firearms like explosives and bamboo tube guns weren't commonplace, so the Qian family wouldn't usually keep them stocked. These two barrels were acquired by the Qian family's steward from the military ordnance depot when Ning Yi sent someone to request gunpowder previously. Upon inquiring, Ning Yi simply took them along. He still had a certain amount of ingredients left for mixing gunpowder, so it was perfect to take back and mix them.
这时候杭州城虽然也混入了不少方腊的人手,但基本还是控制在武德营的手下,真要说危险、急迫,未必能算。从钱希文的话里就能听出来,对于这局势,大家还是有些信心在的。但鸡蛋不可能放在一个篮子里,宁毅所要做的不是为守城做打算,而是做好万全的准备,未雨绸缪,因此钱希文那边,也是乐见其成的。
Although Hangzhou city had been infiltrated by many of Fang La's men, it was mostly still under the control of the Wu De Battalion. To call it dangerous and urgent might not be entirely accurate. From Qian Xiwen's words, one could tell that they still had some confidence in the situation. However, one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. Ning Yi's intention wasn't to prepare solely for defending the city but to make comprehensive preparations, to be prepared for any eventuality. Therefore, Qian Xiwen's side was happy to see it succeed.
如果由正式的朝廷部门让大家做好万一城破的准备,城中的居民难免更加人心惶惶,被通知的富户首先想的也不是同心抗敌,而是如何才能让自家幸免。但若是让宁毅首先作为一名大户去牵线,这样就显得大家是为自己的事情而操心,纵然有异心者只顾着自己逃亡者肯定不少,那出力的程度,却也比军队牵头来得强。
If the official government departments were to prepare everyone for the possibility of the city falling, the residents would inevitably become more panicked. The wealthy families who were notified wouldn't think about uniting to resist the enemy but rather how to save themselves. However, if Ning Yi were to take the lead as a prominent household, it would appear that everyone was concerned about their own affairs. Even if there were disloyal individuals who only cared about their own escape, the effort put in would be greater than if the army were to take the lead.
与钱希文谈妥了这事情的开端,宁毅心中稍稍放松了一些,驾车开始往回走。这时候城北蔓延的火势应该已经被控制,在看来清澄的上午天色里,黑色的烟柱在视野那头随风飞散。如同小婵之前说的,才下了雨,若不是有人蓄意在各处不断点起火焰,那些早被大雨浸了四天的房屋木料,本不可能蔓延成早晨的那般声势。
Having settled the beginning of this matter with Qian Xiwen, Ning Yi felt slightly relieved and began driving back. By this time, the fire that had spread in the north of the city should have been brought under control. In the clear morning sky, black columns of smoke scattered with the wind in the distance. As Xiao Chan had said earlier, it had just rained, and if someone hadn't deliberately started fires everywhere, the wooden houses that had been soaked by heavy rain for four days couldn't have spread into such a spectacle as it had this morning.
一路之上马车疾驰,尽管大部分民众都只守在自己所居住的街区,但这时候可供通行的街道上还是有些人的。或者是跑出来探看情报的,或者是拖家带口与亲戚汇合,也有的大概是想要往南面港口去挤海船逃生,于是背了大小包裹,神色凄惶。过得片刻,城西钱唐门那边又是声浪传来。
The carriage sped along the road. Although most of the people were only guarding the neighborhoods where they lived, there were still some people on the streets that were open for passage at this time. Some had run out to scout for information, others were bringing their families to reunite with relatives, and still others probably wanted to squeeze onto a seagoing ship to escape from the southern port, so they carried packages of all sizes and looked distraught. After a while, a wave of noise came from the Qiantang Gate in the west of the city.
隔了这么远,那边战斗的声浪其实已经听得不清晰了,然而就像是深夜里泛起的潮涌或是遥远天际的闷雷,声音并未响起在眼前,却密集得犹如暴雨,将重重的震撼与厮杀的压抑感传过来。宁毅驾车前行,那遥远城门处的厮杀一直在持续,愈演愈烈,未有停过。
From this distance, the sound of the battle was no longer clear, but like the tide rising in the middle of the night or distant thunder in the sky, the sound didn't ring in front of them, but it was as dense as a rainstorm, conveying a heavy shock and the oppressive feeling of fighting. Ning Yi drove forward, and the fighting at the distant city gate continued, intensifying and never stopping.
然后,一些真正阴霾混乱的气息,也在去往太平巷的途中出现了。
Then, a truly gloomy and chaotic atmosphere appeared on the way to Taiping Lane.
一些发生在城内的,似远似近的厮杀,少量的伤兵。远远的,宁毅也看见一支队伍从对面的街口冲过。似乎是因为早晨在城北的闹事者在被冲散之后,一部分人已经被军队追着往这边过来。这肃杀的气氛已经将附近笼罩起来,再往前走,大路上的人影已经愈发少了,经过一处水道时,对面的街巷里传来厮杀呼喊之声,从这边望去,隐约是有几名乱匪冲入其中的一处院子,砍杀了几名妇孺。那街道靠水道这边的院墙、建筑都已倒塌,宁毅便也能够看出个大概来。
Some fighting, happening within the city, both near and far, and a small number of wounded soldiers. In the distance, Ning Yi also saw a team rushing through the street entrance on the opposite side. It seemed that after the troublemakers in the north of the city were dispersed in the morning, a portion of them were being chased this way by the army. This somber atmosphere had enveloped the vicinity. As he went further, the figures on the main road became increasingly scarce. When he passed a waterway, there were sounds of fighting and shouting from the street on the opposite side. From this vantage point, he could vaguely see several bandits rushing into a courtyard and hacking several women and children to death. The courtyard wall and buildings on the side of the street by the waterway had collapsed, so Ning Yi could get a general idea of what was happening.
这样的街巷虽然也如太平巷一般自行组织了青壮守卫,但急赶过来,未曾真正见血的年轻人却根本不是对手,当先上前的被一刀劈了,其余的只能躲避,哭泣声、尖叫声、示警的锣声中,那七八名乱匪已经冲出一边的院子,到了人影乱窜的街道里,一名汉子拿了根巨大的木棒哐哐哐地过去厮杀,那气势一时间竟将匪人陡然逼退了,但随即便也被几刀斩断了木棒,逼得朝水边这里退来,随后被一名半身染血的乱匪砍翻在地。
Although such streets, like Taiping Lane, had also organized young and strong men to guard them, the young men who had rushed over without ever having seen blood were no match at all. The first one to step forward was chopped down with a single blow, and the rest could only evade. Amidst the sounds of crying, screaming, and warning gongs, the seven or eight bandits rushed out of a courtyard on one side and into the street where people were running around. A man took a huge wooden stick and fought his way forward with a "clang, clang, clang." For a moment, his momentum actually forced the bandits back, but soon his wooden stick was chopped in two with several blows, forcing him to retreat towards the waterside. Then, he was hacked to the ground by a bandit with half of his body covered in blood.
这时那巷道间有妇孺也有青壮,却被七八名乱匪的气势完全压倒。有尖叫,有哭喊,但随着又要扑来的一名年轻人被砍翻之后,一时间竟没什么人能过来救下这倒地的汉子。那半身染血的乱匪持着刀逼近过来,地上的男子拼命往后爬,随即胸口上被劈了一刀,接着又是一刀、再一刀……一名抱着孩子的妇人就靠在约两米外的墙角,拼命哭喊。地上的男子一直试图爬走,不一会儿鲜血便流满全身,一直爬到水道边,已经不能动弹,那乱匪又狠狠劈了几刀,方才将尸体踢进水里,用方言骂道:“来啊,再跟老子动手看!”
At this time, there were women, children, and young men in the alleyway, but they were completely overwhelmed by the momentum of the seven or eight bandits. There were screams and cries, but after another young man who was about to pounce was hacked down, no one could come to rescue the fallen man for a moment. The bandit with half his body covered in blood approached with his knife. The man on the ground desperately crawled backward, and then was hacked in the chest with a knife, followed by another and another... A woman holding a child leaned against the corner of the wall about two meters away, crying desperately. The man on the ground kept trying to crawl away. Before long, his whole body was covered in blood. He crawled all the way to the waterway, but could no longer move. The bandit hacked him several more times before kicking the corpse into the water and cursing in the local dialect, "Come on, try fighting me again!"
这时候军队赶过来的声音已经隐约传来,那匪人身如铁塔,鲜红半身,显得格外狰狞。一名同伴拍他肩膀喊着他走,他转身要走,下一刻陡然回转,却是看到了因为观战停在这边的宁毅的马车,左右看看想要抓起什么往这边扔,随后,陡然朝不远处哭叫的妇人和孩子冲了过去。
At this time, the sound of the army arriving was faintly audible. The bandit, with a body like an iron tower and half of it stained crimson, looked particularly ferocious. A companion patted him on the shoulder and told him to leave. He turned to leave, but the next moment suddenly turned back. He had seen Ning Yi's carriage stopped there because he was watching. He looked around, wanting to grab something to throw over here, and then suddenly rushed towards the crying woman and child not far away.
这乱匪想要抢那妇人怀中的襁褓,妇人死死抱着,拼命尖叫摇头,那乱匪抓了几下,撕出襁褓上的一块布来,下一刻举起钢刀猛地劈了下去,他疯劈了几刀,血流满地。看着这一幕,那街巷中喊声哭声一片,宁毅在这边没有眨眼地看完了。那乱匪再走几步,从墙上掰下半块青砖,猛地掷了过来。
The bandit wanted to snatch the swaddling clothes from the woman's arms. The woman held on tightly, screaming and shaking her head desperately. The bandit grabbed several times and tore a piece of cloth from the swaddling clothes. The next moment, he raised his steel knife and hacked down fiercely. He chopped down madly several times, and blood flowed all over the ground. Watching this scene, there was a chorus of shouts and cries in the street. Ning Yi watched it all without blinking. The bandit took a few more steps, broke off half a blue brick from the wall, and hurled it over.
这不过是一条小水路,宽不过十余米,那人掷得也准,破风声直朝宁毅面门而来,宁毅偏了偏头,馒头大小的青砖砰的砸在马车另一边的门框上,顺着棉布车帘掉下来,乱匪手中的钢刀朝这边指了指,狰狞笑起,随后转身随同伴离开。
This was just a small waterway, no more than ten meters wide. The man threw accurately, the sound of it cutting through the air heading straight for Ning Yi's face. Ning Yi tilted his head slightly, and the steamed bun-sized blue brick slammed into the door frame on the other side of the carriage, falling down along the cotton curtain. The bandit pointed the steel knife in his hand towards this side, grinned ferociously, and then turned to leave with his companions.
宁毅在那儿坐了两秒钟,举起鞭子也要赶车离开,但下一刻,却是皱着眉头将马鞭放下,顺手抓起掉在车上的砖头,跳下马车,跑了两步,将那青砖用力扔了回去。这一下破风巨响,瞬间越过那水道,血光砰的爆开。那乱匪身体一怔,确是近两米外的一名同伴后脑被青砖砸开,往前扑倒在地,染血的砖头往更前方掉过去。
Ning Yi sat there for two seconds, raising his whip to drive the carriage away, but the next moment, he frowned and put down the whip. He reached out and grabbed the brick that had fallen on the carriage, jumped off the carriage, ran two steps, and threw the blue brick back with force. This time, there was a loud whoosh, and it instantly crossed the waterway, and a burst of blood exploded. The bandit's body stiffened. It was indeed a companion less than two meters away whose head had been smashed open by the blue brick. He fell forward to the ground, and the blood-stained brick fell further forward.
没有打中,宁毅站在水边吸了一口气,双手合在脸上稍微挤了挤。对面的那几名匪人望过来时,宁毅左右看了看身旁的地面,全是泥土、草皮,看不见有趁手的砖头,他转身上了马车,挥了鞭子离开。后方传来暴喝,随后又是有人尖叫,大概那人迁怒,又挥刀杀了什么人,宁毅没有回头,不再去看。
Having missed his intended target, Ning Yi stood by the water's edge and took a breath, pressing his hands together on his face and squeezing slightly. When the bandits on the other side looked over, Ning Yi looked around at the ground beside him. It was all dirt and grass, and he couldn't see any handy bricks. He turned and got into the carriage, flicked the whip, and left. A violent shout came from behind, followed by someone screaming again. Probably the man vented his anger and killed someone with his knife again. Ning Yi didn't turn his head and didn't look back.
这城里的街巷,到并不都像是方才那街道般没有抵抗能力,大户家中的一些护院终究还是见过血的,或是有武馆、镖局的,抵抗力就能大大增加。但一般的青壮,除非是以众欺寡,否则能够起到的作用极其有限。方腊这次派入城的,基本该是精锐好手,就如同方才那种杀人杀红眼,省不住手的,普通的年轻人即便在武馆学了些武功,没有真正经历厮杀的,遇上了恐怕也得被一刀撂倒。
The streets in the city were not all like the one just now, without any resistance. Some of the guards in the wealthy families had seen blood after all, or there were martial arts schools and镖局(镖局 biāojú, armed escort agencies), and their resistance would be greatly increased. However, the role that ordinary young men could play was extremely limited, unless they used numbers to overwhelm the few. Fang La's men who were sent into the city this time were basically elite experts, just like the kind who had been killing with bloodshot eyes and couldn't stop. Ordinary young people, even if they had learned some martial arts in a martial arts school and had never really experienced fighting, would probably be knocked down with a single blow if they encountered them.
这时候看起来,早晨在城北的那一场混乱之后,方腊的这些部属四处冲杀,在城内分得极散。武德营虽说是掌控了杭州城,但主要力量还是被放在城墙附近,至于在城内缉凶的,就算也分散开来,一时半会却无法真正的掌控全局,才出现眼下的这些事情,但想来,应该不会持续过这个上午。
It seemed that after the chaos in the north of the city this morning, Fang La's subordinates were rampaging everywhere, scattered very widely throughout the city. Although the Wu De Battalion was said to be in control of Hangzhou, its main force was still stationed near the city walls. As for those who were arresting murderers in the city, even if they were dispersed, they would not be able to truly control the overall situation for a while, which is why these things are happening now, but it seems that it shouldn't last past this morning.
但这片混乱已经将自己暂时笼罩进来,他一时间也没办法躲避或回头。为了赶往太平巷那边,宁毅绕了几次道,到一处路口时,大概二十几名官兵冲杀出来,追杀着两名匪人,将他们乱刀砍死在街口。为首的官兵是一名样貌剽悍的大胡子,提刀指着宁毅过来:“什么人!”
However, this chaos had temporarily enveloped him, and he couldn't avoid it or turn back for a while. In order to rush to Taiping Lane, Ning Yi detoured several times. When he arrived at an intersection, about twenty or so government soldiers rushed out, chasing two bandits and hacking them to death at the street entrance. The leader of the government soldiers was a burly, bearded man with a fierce appearance. He pointed his knife at Ning Yi and came over, "Who are you!"
宁毅拿出令牌,随后又拿出由钱家开具的一份文书,说明自己要回太平巷的事情。那大胡子军官追杀匪徒追杀得气喘吁吁,凶神恶煞,但看了凭证,又看了宁毅的书生打扮,稍作检查之后,吼道:“这边有匪人作乱,我们正要缉拿凶徒,你不能驾着马车过去,绕道!绕道!”虽然车上有火药,但此时宁毅所带的凭证有着相当高的权限,加上那杜统领的令牌,这大胡子军官也不好多说什么。
Ning Yi took out his token, and then also took out a document issued by the Qian family, explaining that he was going back to Taiping Lane. The big-bearded military officer was panting from chasing the bandits, looking fierce and evil, but after looking at the credentials and seeing Ning Yi's scholar-like appearance, he did a brief inspection and roared, "There are bandits causing trouble here. We are trying to arrest the murderers. You can't drive the carriage over here. Detour! Detour!" Although there was gunpowder in the carriage, the credentials that Ning Yi carried at this time had a very high authority, plus Du Commander's token, so the big-bearded military officer couldn't say much more.
这些人在做事,有自己的理由。宁毅不认为自己有横冲直撞的特权,一时间也只好绕道,如此又转了一圈,到得一处岔道时,却见侧面的道路上几乎是杀红了一片,上百具尸体在那街道间朝远处延伸出去,也不知这边经历了怎样的战斗,有官兵的尸体,也有少量匪人的尸体,其中也有被波及到的平民。周围的街巷静得竟像是死了一般,城市嗡嗡嗡的响声蔓延过来,远远的还是钱唐门那边的厮杀声音。
These people were doing things and had their own reasons. Ning Yi didn't think he had the privilege to rush around, so he had to detour for a while. After going around in a circle again, when he reached a fork in the road, he saw that the road on the side was almost completely red with blood. Hundreds of corpses stretched out into the distance between the streets. It was unknown what kind of battle had taken place here. There were corpses of government soldiers, as well as a small number of corpses of bandits, and there were also civilians who had been affected. The surrounding streets and alleys were as silent as if they were dead. The humming sound of the city spread over, and the sound of fighting from the direction of Qiantang Gate could still be heard in the distance.
宁毅掉转马头,朝另一边的道路过去,转过两条街,一旁大概是富人的院落里有声音传过来,嗡嗡嗡嗡的动静。这次地震这户人家应该也倒了不少建筑,只是沿街这边的围墙还有好长一截,有的地方有缺口,却看不见里面的情况,微微听了片刻,那里面的声音越来越响,似是有人在朝这边冲过来。
Ning Yi turned the horse's head and went towards the road on the other side. After turning two streets, a sound came from the courtyard, probably of a rich family, a humming noise. This family should have had many buildings collapse in the earthquake. However, there was still a long section of the wall along the street. There were gaps in some places, but he couldn't see what was inside. After listening for a while, the sound inside became louder and louder, as if someone was rushing towards this side.
宁毅才要加快速度,街道前方的一处缺口处,八九名全身杀红了的乱匪冲上了街道,目光朝宁毅这边望来,宁毅想要掉转车头,朝后方一看,后方也有几人翻出了围墙,当中一名手持钢鞭的男子朝这边喝道:“那杀才!把车留下!几位兄弟!抢了他的车,点火撞死那帮狗官兵!”
Just as Ning Yi was about to speed up, eight or nine bandits, their whole bodies stained red with blood, rushed onto the street from a gap in the front of the street, and their eyes looked towards Ning Yi's side. Ning Yi wanted to turn the carriage around, but when he looked to the rear, he saw several people climbing over the wall in the rear. A man in the middle holding a steel whip shouted towards this side, "You bastard! Leave the carriage! Brothers! Snatch his carriage, set it on fire, and ram those dog government soldiers to death!"
这人的喝声中,道路前方的几人已经朝这边冲来,当先一人手持铁锤,格外凶悍。宁毅此时书生打扮,朝着前方后方看了好一阵,几乎控制不住乱动的马车,摔下车去,他慌张地爬起来,朝着另一边一处围墙的缺口就跑,跑出了二十几米,宁毅在那房间已经倒塌的小院子里回头看去,后方道路上,有一人身手矫捷地冲上马车,抓起缰绳,“吁”的一下将躁动的马匹给单手拉住,英姿鲜红。
At the sound of this man's shout, the people in front of the road were already rushing towards this side. The first one held an iron hammer and was particularly ferocious. Ning Yi, dressed as a scholar at this time, looked towards the front and back for a while, almost unable to control the erratic carriage. He fell off the carriage. He scrambled up in a panic and ran towards a gap in the wall on the other side. After running twenty or so meters, Ning Yi looked back in the small courtyard where the room had collapsed. On the road behind him, a person with agile skills rushed onto the carriage, grabbed the reins, and with a "whoa" pulled the restless horse with one hand, a heroic figure stained red.
宁毅后退着走了几步,看着那边皱起眉头,将衣袖捂在了嘴边。
Ning Yi took a few steps back, looking at that side with a frown, covering his mouth with his sleeve.
“你妈的……”
"You motherfucker..."
车帘内,一粒火光燃至终点,有人掀开了帘子,光芒绽放开来。
Inside the carriage, a spark of light burned to the end. Someone lifted the curtain, and a light bloomed.
轰的一声巨响,光焰冲天,将人脸的扭曲、马的疯吠全都吞没下去,有一具人体被炸上了天空,光焰升腾,气流飞舞,吹乱了宁毅的衣裳,残碎的肢体在眼前掉下来。几秒钟后,他转身开始跑起来,几乎还在嗡嗡叫的耳朵里,有人疯狂大汉:“杀了他杀了他杀了他——给我这狗娘养的啊——”
With a loud bang, the flames soared into the sky, swallowing the distortion of human faces and the mad barking of horses. A human body was blown into the sky. The flames rose, the air currents danced, blowing Ning Yi's clothes into disarray, and fragmented limbs fell in front of his eyes. A few seconds later, he turned and started running. In his ears, which were still buzzing, someone madly shouted, "Kill him, kill him, kill him - get that son of a bitch for me!"
未曾受伤的人朝着这边追过来。
The uninjured people chased after him.
轰的一声,宁毅冲破一扇摇摇欲倾的木门,木片飞舞中,他从长袍侧面拔出一把钢刀,一边跑,一边抽出布条,用手和嘴巴将刀柄固定在手上……(未完待续。)投推荐票、月票,您的支持,就是我最大的动力。)
With a crash, Ning Yi broke through a wooden door that was about to collapse. Amidst the flying wood chips, he pulled out a steel knife from the side of his robe. While running, he pulled out strips of cloth and used his hands and mouth to fix the handle of the knife to his hand... (To be continued.) Vote for recommended tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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Support (完本神站 Wánběn Shénzhàn - Complete Book Divine Station)! Share this site with those little partners who need it! If you can't find a book, please leave a message!